Lisa Sette Gallery’s fall exhibit marks the year’s diurnal progression toward a darker season with Rachel Bess’ oil portraits and the photo-collage constructions of collaborators Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick. Bess and Kahn/Selesnick revel in historical and retrofuturist aesthetics of the occult, marking resonances with our present moment of ecological and moral insecurity. In disparate media, these works demonstrate the irresistible intrigue of the fantastic and unknown in times of cultural upheaval.

Kahn/Selesnick’s meticulous photo-collages function as immersive cosmic systems from which the viewer may divine their own meaning or narrative based on a constellation of esoteric details. Each image catches an enticing fancy, mid-flight. Their series, Madame Lulu’s Book of Fate, follows the continuing adventures of the Truppe Fledermaus, a motley, bat-masked crew that has featured in the duo’s recent works. Kahn/Selesnick explain Truppe Fledermaus as “A cabaret troupe of anxious mummers and would-be mystics who catalogue their absurdist attempts to augur a future that seems increasingly in peril due to environmental pressures and global turmoil.”

Writing in the New York Times, Vicki Goldberg described the adventures of Truppe Fledermaus as “apocalypse soon, delight in the meantime.”

For while a shining margin of rising floodwaters encircle many scenes of the Truppe, still its members seem to take pleasure where they can, traipsing in fancy-dress across wasted, watery, or overgrown landscapes, encountering last-of-their species creatures and attempting feats of technological transcendence with charming analogue contraptions.

Performing the roles of commedia del’arte and adhering to the democratizing customs of carnival, the costuming and elaborate backgrounds of Truppe Fledermaus explicitly recall 18th-century France; remarks Richard Selesnick:

“We see a correlation between that time period and our own, with the world teetering between enlightenment and violence. We often find it helpful to view our own anxieties through the lens of history in this way.”

Fortunetelling may also offer comfort in times of civilizational confusion, thus Madame Lulu’s Book of Fate comprises a deck of tarot cards and a bocca della veritá—a mouth of truth hearkening to the original Roman artifact. Madame Lulu’s visions are caught within a circular frame, as though through the lense of a sightglass, all the better to catch a glimpse of a possible future, or a substitute past, that somehow makes sense of the absurdity of the present moment.

A notion of existence outside the limits of time is also central to the eerie portraits of Rachel Bess. Bess remarks:

“I nearly always try to have my figures in a time that is not specific…and extends the possibility that [each portrait] may be set in the future, or I suppose an alternate ‘futurepast’.”

In Bess’ moody and precise oil-on-panel portraits this embodied “futurepast” seems to have sprung from our contemporary world, still grasping enchanted artifacts and treasures from beyond history. Amulets and magical talismans, poison bottles and turn-of-the-century cabaret costumes adorn the central figures of the portraits, each depicted in a moment of atmospheric hesitation, ensconced in the infinite cosmic darkness of myth or dreams.

The portraits’ subjects are young and attractive, with unconventional faces and bodies; their dreamy expressions and enigmatic background adds to their fascination. The luminous delineation of these figures in the shadows becomes an enchantment that commands further consideration. As viewers of both Bess’ and Kahn/Selesnick’s works, we are compelled to follow into the unknown realms they direct us toward. These are places of darkness but also beauty and seductive whimsy. And such strange loveliness begs the question: what do we have to lose?

Phoenix Art Museum showcases rare Sikh objects from Arizona collection for the first time
Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage explores aesthetics, history, and culture through loans from local lender

PHOENIX (March 22, 2017) – Beginning April 15, Phoenix Art Museum will showcase a broad range of objects related to Sikh religion and history in an exhibition entitled Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage. From portraiture and photographs to implements of war, the exhibition draws exclusively on featured items from the Khanuja Family Collection, a local Arizona family. This is the first time the Khanuja Collection has loaned works to the Museum.

“We are grateful to the Khanuja family for sharing these treasures with us,” said Amada Cruz, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “It is a privilege to broaden the scope of our Art of Asia Gallery with rare objects, an opportunity made possible through the generosity and community-mindedness of collectors like the Khanuja family. We look forward to sharing this unique experience with our visitors.”

Organized thematically, the items in Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage traverse a visual journey of Sikh religion and history. Portraits of the gurus, the founders of Sikhism, that reflect the meticulous style of traditional Indian painting will be exhibited alongside religious texts with images painted by both Indian and European artists. Photographs recording the Sikh military presence in British India, as well as the more recent Sikh diaspora in North America, will also be on view, as well as various implements of war including swords, medals, and a helmet and shield.

“Virtue and Valor expands the depth and breadth of our understanding not only of Sikh art, but also of Sikh religion and culture,” said Janet Baker, the Museum’s curator of Asian art. “The items on view from the Khanuja Family Collection function simultaneously as aesthetic objects and pieces of historical value, which is crucial for an important world religion that is not widely understood in the West. The intent behind this exhibition is to showcase the multi-faceted significance of these rare objects.”

With more than 23 million followers, Sikhism is now the fifth-largest religion in the world. Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder who lived in the Punjab region of India (which includes today’s north India and Pakistan, set out the devotional path that God is One and all creation is equal, without distinction by caste, creed, race, gender or station in life. Guru Nanak was succeeded by nine gurus; the Tenth Guru decreed that no individual would succeed him but spiritual guidance would be drawn from the Holy Book (Guru Granth Sahib). Since its founding, Sikhism has grown to include followers on all inhabited continents. Sikhs have played important roles throughout world history, notably as Khalsa, the pure and saintly soldiers of righteousness who were an integral part of the British Empire in India. In the late 19th century, many Sikhs emigrated to the US and Canada and have since integrated into many Western countries.

Virtue and Valor will be on view in the Art of Asia Gallery from April 15 through September 10. Admission is free for Museum Members and included with general admission. For more information, please visit bit.ly/VirtueAndValor.

About the Exhibition
Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage will be on view beginning April 15 in the Harnett Gallery. This exhibition is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and features works from the Khanuja Family Collection. It is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Museum’s annual fund.

Admission is free for Museum Members; past and present members of the Military; Maricopa Community College students, staff, and faculty (with ID); and youth aged 5 and under. Entrance to the exhibition is included in general admission for the general public. During voluntary-donation, free-access times, the exhibition is offered free to the general public. Free-access times include Wednesdays from 3 – 9 pm, the First Fridays of every month from 6 – 10 pm, and the second weekend of each month (Second Saturdays from 10am – 5pm and Second Sundays from Noon – 5pm). For a full breakdown of general admission prices and hours, see bit.ly/VisitPhxArt.

About Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Art Museum has provided access to visual arts and educational programs in Arizona for more than 50 years and is the largest art museum in the Southwestern United States. Critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions are shown alongside the Museum’s permanent collection of more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents festivals, a comprehensive film program, live performances and educational programs designed to enlighten, entertain and stimulate visitors of all ages. Visitors also enjoy vibrant photography exhibitions through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit PhxArt.org, or call the 24-hour recorded information line at (602) 257-1222.